CARLTON coach Mick Malthouse has been left embarrassed by his team's 81-point capitulation to Essendon at the MCG on Sunday night and prays it was an aberration.

After the Blues slumped to 0-3 for the second successive season under his watch, Malthouse said he hadn't anticipated such a lacklustre performance, adding that there weren't any positives to take from the game.

The Blues mentor was most disappointed by his team's lack of effort, which produced just 29 inside-50s (to Essendon's 55) and eight goals (to 21).

"Essendon are a very, very talented football side and a very good football side and tonight we allowed them to play with relative ease," he said.

"Really, that's embarrassing for our football club. We're embarrassed about our performance …

"Essendon totally outworked us. And I didn't see it coming. (I thought we were) a million miles off that.

"There's only one salvation: we play in six days … It's a shorter period between now and next week, because there's nothing else we can take from that game."

Malthouse refused to single out any of his charges, but didn't conceal his disappointment.

"I pray it's a one-off. If that's the sort of stuff we're going to dish up, it's a miserable year in front of us. I am loath to think that we could actually dish that up again," he said.

"I don't think we should take anything away from Essendon, but we didn't put pressure on Essendon. And again we didn't put two or three shots (away) in the first quarter (that) were all kickable. There is a responsibility, particularly by senior players that when the ball's in your hands you take that responsibility, and we're not doing it …

"No one could have been satisfied with their game. Some players may have been satisfied with their effort. Very few will be satisfied that they gave 100 per cent for 100 per cent of the night. Two or three players perhaps would say, 'I gave everything.' That's an indictment."

Malthouse revealed that after he addressed his team, the players held their own heart-to-heart discussion that the coach hoped would provide "some solid recommendations" on how the Blues might rescue their season.

"There will be a lot of players that will hopefully come out of that meeting and say that they need to assess where they're at as footballers and let's do something about it," he said.

"We've got six days to turn something around."

Carlton faces a similarly winless Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.